“Contrary to public perception, schizophrenia is not split personality or multiple personality. The vast majority of people with schizophrenia are not violent and do not pose a danger to others. Schizophrenia is not caused by childhood experiences, poor parenting or lack of willpower, nor are the symptoms identical for each person” (“Schizophrenia” [Mental Health America] 1). The debilitating illness schizophrenia is actually a complex web of delusions, misinterpretations, and abnormal behaviors. Those people who have this disease are unable to discern reality from fantasy. Schizophrenia attacks the brain and central nervous system with a barrage of symptoms, ranging anywhere from relatively mild confusion to potentially life threatening thoughts of suicide. It can affect anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, or cultural background (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 1). Schizophrenia is a largely misunderstood illness, and in order to grasp the true nature of this disease, one must take into consideration the probable causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Many people do not truly know much about the fundamentals of schizophrenia due to its vast complexity. And, contrary to public perception, most people who have it are not like the crazy-eyed psychopaths that one may see in movies or read about in fictional stories. In fact, most schizophrenics are able to live relatively normal lives. Although schizophrenia can affect anyone, it is rare for children and those older than the age of forty-five to develop this illness.
Schizophrenia usually affects men in their early to mid twenties and women in their late twenties (“Schizophrenia” [Mayo Clinic] 2). Additionally, due to the devastating effects this disease can have upon one’s body, those affected by it often have shorter lifespan (Parekh 1). Schizophrenia can be further broken down into subcategories based on symptoms present, such as: disorganized schizophrenia, catatonic schizophrenia, and paranoid schizophrenia. Disorganized schizophrenia, or “hebephrenic schizophrenia,” usually exhibits symptoms of abnormal speech and/or emotions. Catatonic schizophrenia usually includes symptoms of abnormal movement and basic motor skills. The main symptoms present in one affected by paranoid schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions, and/or paranoia (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 2). And, as one might have guessed, the most well-known variety of this disease is in fact paranoid schizophrenia, but that does not mean that any of the other subcategories are any less threatening. Much of the confusion surrounding schizophrenia can be traced back to a simple misunderstanding of the “basics” of this disease.
There are many probable causes of schizophrenia that research teams are currently investigating. Two possible factors that contribute to the development of this illness are as follows: the combination of genes and the surrounding environment, such as pre-birth irregularities; and abnormal brain chemistry and structure (“Schizophrenia” [National Institute of Mental Health] 1-2). Scientists are almost completely positive that there is definitely a genetic factor involved in the occurrence of schizophrenia. This illness has been tested numerous times concerning familial cases of the disease, and most all of them point to an outstanding genetic factor, thereby nearly confirming the assumption that schizophrenia is a hereditary disease. However, genes are not the only cause, for there was still a small percentage of tests and experiments that did not sufficiently prove that the sole causation of schizophrenia was the traits passed down from parent to child. Researchers have begun to suggest that a combination of genes and the surrounding environment in the early stages of brain development make a significant contribution to the existence of schizophrenia (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 3). For example, a child of a woman who has a family history of schizophrenia and who abuses substances whilst pregnant will be at a far higher risk of developing this illness than a child of a woman who did not abuse substances while pregnant and/or did not have a family history of the disease. The second of the stated possible causes, abnormal brain chemistry and structure, has also been thoroughly analyzed. In fact, extensive research has uncovered various abnormalities in the brain structure and size of those with schizophrenia including but not limited to: enlarged lateral ventricles, smaller hippocampus size, enlarged basal ganglia, and irregularities in the prefrontal cortex (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 2). These differences cause the brain and central nervous system to function improperly, thus resulting in potential disorders, one of which might possibly be schizophrenia. Research also suggests that issues with certain neurotransmitters, dopamine and glutamate, may be a factor in the development of schizophrenia (“Schizophrenia” [Mayo Clinic] 3). There are also other less researched causes that offer some explanation for schizophrenia. Viral infections and immune disorders may also be a possible cause (“Schizophrenia” [Mental Health America] 2). These bacterial attacks weaken the body, potentially making a young, developing brain more susceptible to the illness. One other hypothetical cause of schizophrenia is substance abuse. These mind altering drugs can damage growing brains and contribute to irregular brain function resulting in schizophrenia (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 2). However, even though there are many possible causes, none of them have been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to be a concrete reason for the development of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is accompanied by a wide range of symptoms. These symptoms are typically separated into three categories: positive, negative, and cognitive. Positive symptoms are things/behaviors that seem abnormal (ex: hallucinations, delusions, thought disorders, movement disorders, etc.). Negative symptoms include abnormal behaviors and emotions (ex: Reduced emotions, we must happiness, loss of motivation, reduced speaking, etc.). Cognitive symptoms include changes to one’s overall brain function (ex: poor ability to make decisions, loss of understanding, trouble focusing, various memory issues, etc.) (“Schizophrenia” [National Institute of Mental Health] 1). There are also other symptoms do not fall under these categories. Those afflicted by schizophrenia may also suffer from PTSD, OCD, and/or depression (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 4). These other disorders can make coping with and treating schizophrenia extremely difficult. Schizophrenics may also experience suicidal thoughts and actions. For some, the stress of being schizophrenic is simply too much to handle, and many take their own lives to escape. Another symptom of schizophrenia is anosognosia (“lack of insight”). This means that the person either does not know or is in denial that they have schizophrenia (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 2). Now, in contrast to other illnesses, the severity of schizophrenia symptoms usually decreases over time (Parekh 2). This means the for the first, say, five to ten years one’s symptoms may be awful to have to endure. But, after that time, the symptoms will gradually become easier to deal with and may eventually become barely noticeable. There is no particular time frame for the onset of symptoms. They could occur very suddenly or over a long period of time (“Schizophrenia” [Mental Health America] 2). There are many varying symptoms of schizophrenia, and everyone’s experience is different.
As of right now, there is no cure for schizophrenia (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 4). However, researchers have worked tirelessly to provide a relatively safe and effective treatment option: antipsychotic medications. Antipsychotic medications have been used to treat schizophrenia since their development in the 1950s (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 4). There are two major types of antipsychotics: typical (first generation) and atypical (second generation). Typical antipsychotics such as chlorpromazine and mesoridazine can be used to treat positive schizophrenia symptoms. Atypical antipsychotics such as aripiprazole, asenapine, and clozapine can be used to effectively counteract both positive and negative schizophrenia symptoms (“Schizophrenia” [Mental Health America] 4). While these drugs do not completely erase the illness or its symptoms, they do offer some relief for schizophrenics. In fact, as stated by the faculty of Washington University, “one unique second generation antipsychotic medication is called clozapine… it… has been the only one indicated to reduce thoughts of suicide” (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 8). However, these treatments are not perfect. Although antipsychotic drugs have been proven to reduce the symptoms of schizophrenia, there is a significant risk of developing brutal side effects such as tremors, dystonia, weight gain, and tardive dyskinesia (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 5). Additionally, while all antipsychotics usually come with side effects atypical antipsychotics generally have a fewer number than typical antipsychotics (“Schizophrenia” [Mental Health America] 4). There are also a few other “treatments” available to those with schizophrenia. As with any other mental illness, patients with schizophrenia not only require medication but also need counseling and therapy (“Neuroscience for Kids- Schizophrenia” 5). These activities are the first step for schizophrenics who wish to try to live as they did before their diagnosis. It is also essential for family members of people with schizophrenia to be optimistic and supportive (Parekh 3). This will greatly improve their chances of overcoming this disease. While there is currently no cure for schizophrenia, the treatments available can provide schizophrenics with an excellent quality of life.
Schizophrenia has been an extremely heavily researched illness, and yet many key characteristics of the disease are still relatively unknown. For example, according to research, one of the causes of this illness is abnormal brain structure, therefore proving that it is a disease of the brain (“Schizophrenia” [Mayo Clinic] 3). But, scientists are stumped as to why this occurs. However, there have been significant breakthroughs. Recent research suggests that one of the causes of schizophrenia may be overactive pruning of synapses. Synapses are connections between nerve cells. This is a major risk in early stages of brain development (“A Milestone in the Search for Schizophrenia’s Causes” 1). One other major thing that researchers are currently investigating, aside from causes and treatments, is the method(s) used for diagnosis. Schizophrenia is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms mirror that of many other brain conditions and mental illnesses (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 3). The current technique requires an extensive amount of time to complete. As of right now, if one has the symptoms of schizophrenia for at least six months, one may be diagnosed with it (“About Schizophrenia” 1). This method takes far too long, for with schizophrenia, early diagnosis is a key element in successfully treating it. The earlier that schizophrenia is diagnosed, the easier it will be to cope with/handle the illness and its symptoms (“Schizophrenia” [NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness] 6). As teams of researchers continue to discover more about the causes and symptoms of schizophrenia, the new information gathered can be used to develop new approaches to the diagnosis of the illness. This will greatly expedite the diagnosis process, and, consequently, improve one’s chances of a greater quality of life.
Many people today do not truly understand schizophrenia. In order to do this, they must first identify the potential causes, examine the various symptoms, and analyze the available treatments. If one does so, they might gain a better appreciation for schizophrenics. Schizophrenics are just people whose brains are structured a little differently from others, and they just want to live normal lives uninhibited by their illness. It is important for people who are not affected by schizophrenia to be supportive of those who are. People with schizophrenia should have a positive outlook on life because living normally is possible. Scientist are actively researching the causes, symptoms, and overall nature of this illness in order to try to improve existing treatments, find new ones, and maybe one day, discover a cure.